Rotor installation at the Grindbakken warehouse in Ghent

Belgian collective Rotor was invited to intervene in the whitewashing and renovation of an old warehouse in Ghent, known as the Grindbakken. Photography: Rotor

Rotor's installation brings new focus to the parts of the structure that would otherwise go unnoticed. Photography: Johnny Umans

'When we visited the site before it was transformed, we were attracted to the graphic quality of several elements in the concrete structure: the colour gradients, traces of previous uses, graffitis, numerous plants, the omnipresence of iron oxides, the freshly made holes and cuts in the concrete walls,' says Rotor. Photography: Johnny Umans

Rotor's show is the first exhibition in this old concrete warehouse (formerly used for transferring gravel and sand between ships and trucks), which is set to become a multi-purpose space for the area, before OMA step in to redevelop Ghent's docklands. Photography: Rotor

Interfering with the painting process, the studio chose a number of 'areas of interest', and created 36 frames on site to protect these areas during the structure's cleaning and painting. Photography: Eric Mairiaux

'It is a way to guide the eye to specific elements that have a story to tell,' they say. Photography: Eric Mairiaux

Rotor's Grindbakken exhibition forces the viewer to examine this old structure in fresh ways. Photography: Rotor

Says the studio: 'Speaking about the materiality and ageing of concrete may also refer to the concrete that will be flowing abundantly in the next decades in this neighbourhood...' Photography: Eric Mairiaux

... 'however, what we did is a radically descriptive, precise and ultimately conservative work in a context where decisions are taken at a huge scale.' Photography: Eric Mairiaux

Plants sprouting through the concrete become works of art. Photography: Eric Mairiaux

The warehouse itself has been renovated for its reincarnation as a temporary arts space. Photography: Rotor

The Grindbakken has been renovated by architect Sarah Melsens and artist Roberta Gigante. Photography: Rotor

When architecture practice OMA's new masterplan for Ghent's docklands becomes a reality, many existing buildings will be replaced and new activities and residents will make the area their new home.

Before this happens though, Belgian creative collective Rotor have stepped in to present their own interpretation of the changing neighbourhood with an exhibition in one of its abandoned warehouses, the Grindbakken.

Rotor's show is the first exhibition in this old concrete warehouse (formerly used for transferring gravel and sand between ships and trucks), which is set to become a multi-purpose space for the area, in the build up to its transformation.

Invited by renovation architect Sarah Melsens and artist Roberta Gigante to create the first intervention in the space, the studio has played with the building's recent whitewashing in order to shine a light on the parts of the structure that would otherwise go unnoticed.

'When we visited the site before it was transformed, we were attracted to the graphic quality of several elements in the concrete structure: the colour gradients, traces of previous uses, graffitis, numerous plants, the omnipresence of iron oxides, the freshly made holes and cuts in the concrete walls,' says Rotor.

Interfering with the painting process, the studio chose a number of 'areas of interest', and created 36 frames on site to protect these areas during the structure's cleaning and painting. 'It is a way to guide the eye to specific elements that have a story to tell,' they say.

The group's Grindbakken exhibition forces the viewer to examine this old structure in fresh ways. Says Rotor: 'Speaking about the materiality and ageing of concrete may also refer to the concrete that will be flowing abundantly in the next decades in this neighbourhood. However, what we did is a radically descriptive, precise and ultimately conservative work in a context where decisions are taken at a huge scale.'

Information

Rotor's exhibition at the Grindbakken runs until 21 October at Dok Noord 7, Ghent